Skip to main content
  • Foundation
  • Executive network
  • CEO Circle
  • Enterprise Solutions
  • Linkage Logo
  • Store
  • Sign In
  • Account
    • My Account
    • Logout
    • Global
    • India
    • MENA
SHRM
About
Book a Speaker
Join Today
Renew
Rejoin Now
Renew
  • Membership
  • Certification
    Certification

    Smiling asian student studying in library with laptop books doing online research for coursework, making notes for essay homework assignment, online education e-learning concept
    Get Certified!

    Be recognized as an HR leader with your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential.

    • How to Get Certified

      Demonstrate your ability to apply HR principles to real-life situations. No other HR certification compares.

      • How to Get Certified
      • Eligibility Criteria
      • Exam Details and Fees
      • SHRM-CP
      • SHRM-SCP
      • Which Certification is Best for Me
      • Certification FAQs
    • Prepare for the Exam

      Give yourself the best chance to pass your SHRM certification exam.

      • Exam Preparation
      • SHRM BASK
      • SHRM Learning System
      • Instructor-Led Learning
      • Self-Study
      • Study Aids & Add-ons
    • Recertification

      Recertify your SHRM Credentials before your end date!

      • Specialty Credentials
      • Qualifications
  • Topics & Tools
    Topics & Tools

    Stay up to date with workplace news and leverage our vast library of resources to streamline day-to-day HR tasks.

    The white house in washington, dc.
    Executive Order Impact Zone

    Do not abandon, but evaluate and evolve. It is about legal, equal opportunity for all.

    • News & Trends

      Follow breaking news and emerging workplace trends.

      Legal & Compliance

      Stay informed on workplace legal updates and their impacts.

      From the Workplace

      Explore diverse perspectives from your peers on today's workplaces.

      Flagships

      Get curated collections of podcasts, videos, articles, and more produced by SHRM.

    • HR Topics
      • AI in the Workplace
      • Civility at Work
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Inclusion & Diversity
      • Talent Acquisition
      • Workplace Technology
      • Workplace Violence Prevention
      SEE ALL
      SHRM Research
    • Tools & Samples

      Access member resources and tools to streamline HR tasks.

      • Forms & Checklists
      • How-To Guides
      • Interactive Tools
      • Job Descriptions
      • Policies
      • Toolkits
      SEE ALL
      Ask an Advisor
  • Events & Education
    Events & Education

    SHRM25 in San Diego, June 29 - July 2, 2025
    Join us for SHRM25 in San Diego

    Register for the World’s Largest HR Conference being held on June 29 - July 2, 2025

    • Events
      • SHRM25
      • The AI+HI Project 2025
      • INCLUSION 2025
      • Talent 2026
      • Linkage Institute 2025
      SEE ALL
      Webinars
    • Educational Programs

      Designed and delivered by HR experts to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to drive lasting change in the workplace.

      Specialty Credentials

      Demonstrate targeted competence and enhance credibility among peers and employers.

      Qualifications

      Gain a deeper understanding and develop critical skills.

    • Team Training & Development

      Customized training programs unique to your organization’s needs.

  • Business Solutions
  • Advocacy
    Advocacy

    Make your voice heard on public policy issues impacting the workplace.

    Advocacy
    SHRM's President & CEO testifies to Congress on "The State of American Education"
    • Policy Areas
      • Workforce Development
      • Workplace Inclusion
      • Workplace Flexibility & Leave
      • Workplace Governance
      • Workplace Health Care
      • Workplace Immigration
      State Affairs

      SHRM advances policy solutions in state legislatures nationwide.

      Global Policy

      SHRM is the go-to for global HR leaders and businesses on workplace matters.

    • Advocacy Team (A-Team)

      SHRM’s A-Team is a key member benefit, giving you the tools, insights, and opportunities to shape workplace policy and drive real impact.

      Take Action

      Urge lawmakers to support policies that create lasting, positive change.

      Advocacy & Legislative Resources

      Access SHRM’s curated policy materials and content.

    • SHRM-Led Coalitions
      • Generation Cares
      • The Section 127 Coalition
      • Learn More & Partner with SHRM Government Affairs
  • Community
    Community

    Woman raising hand in group
    Find a SHRM Chapter

    Easily find a local professional or student chapter in your area.

    • Chapters

      Find local connections from over 607 chapters and state councils and create your personalized HR network.

      SHRM Connect

      Post polls, get crowdsourced answers to your questions and network with other HR professionals online.

      SHRM Northern California

      Join SHRM members in the greater San Francisco Bay area for local events and networking.

    • Membership Councils

      Learn about SHRM's five regional councils and the Membership Advisory Council (MAC).

      • Membership Advisory Council
      • Regional Councils
    • Volunteers

      Learn about volunteer opportunities with SHRM.

      • Volunteer Leader Resource Center
Close
  • Membership
  • Certification
    back
    Certification
    Smiling asian student studying in library with laptop books doing online research for coursework, making notes for essay homework assignment, online education e-learning concept
    Get Certified!

    Be recognized as an HR leader with your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential.

    • How to Get Certified

      Demonstrate your ability to apply HR principles to real-life situations. No other HR certification compares.

      • How to Get Certified
      • Eligibility Criteria
      • Exam Details and Fees
      • SHRM-CP
      • SHRM-SCP
      • Which Certification is Best for Me
      • Certification FAQs
    • Prepare for the Exam

      Give yourself the best chance to pass your SHRM certification exam.

      • Exam Preparation
      • SHRM BASK
      • SHRM Learning System
      • Instructor-Led Learning
      • Self-Study
      • Study Aids & Add-ons
    • Recertification

      Recertify your SHRM Credentials before your end date!

      • Specialty Credentials
      • Qualifications
  • Topics & Tools
    back
    Topics & Tools

    Stay up to date with workplace news and leverage our vast library of resources to streamline day-to-day HR tasks.

    The white house in washington, dc.
    Executive Order Impact Zone

    Do not abandon, but evaluate and evolve. It is about legal, equal opportunity for all.

    • News & Trends

      Follow breaking news and emerging workplace trends.

      Legal & Compliance

      Stay informed on workplace legal updates and their impacts.

      From the Workplace

      Explore diverse perspectives from your peers on today's workplaces.

      Flagships

      Get curated collections of podcasts, videos, articles, and more produced by SHRM.

    • HR Topics
      • AI in the Workplace
      • Civility at Work
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Inclusion & Diversity
      • Talent Acquisition
      • Workplace Technology
      • Workplace Violence Prevention
      SEE ALL
      SHRM Research
    • Tools & Samples

      Access member resources and tools to streamline HR tasks.

      • Forms & Checklists
      • How-To Guides
      • Interactive Tools
      • Job Descriptions
      • Policies
      • Toolkits
      SEE ALL
      Ask an Advisor
  • Events & Education
    back
    Events & Education
    SHRM25 in San Diego, June 29 - July 2, 2025
    Join us for SHRM25 in San Diego

    Register for the World’s Largest HR Conference being held on June 29 - July 2, 2025

    • Events
      • SHRM25
      • The AI+HI Project 2025
      • INCLUSION 2025
      • Talent 2026
      • Linkage Institute 2025
      SEE ALL
      Webinars
    • Educational Programs

      Designed and delivered by HR experts to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to drive lasting change in the workplace.

      Specialty Credentials

      Demonstrate targeted competence and enhance credibility among peers and employers.

      Qualifications

      Gain a deeper understanding and develop critical skills.

    • Team Training & Development

      Customized training programs unique to your organization’s needs.

  • Business Solutions
  • Advocacy
    back
    Advocacy

    Make your voice heard on public policy issues impacting the workplace.

    Advocacy
    SHRM's President & CEO testifies to Congress on "The State of American Education"
    • Policy Areas
      • Workforce Development
      • Workplace Inclusion
      • Workplace Flexibility & Leave
      • Workplace Governance
      • Workplace Health Care
      • Workplace Immigration
      State Affairs

      SHRM advances policy solutions in state legislatures nationwide.

      Global Policy

      SHRM is the go-to for global HR leaders and businesses on workplace matters.

    • Advocacy Team (A-Team)

      SHRM’s A-Team is a key member benefit, giving you the tools, insights, and opportunities to shape workplace policy and drive real impact.

      Take Action

      Urge lawmakers to support policies that create lasting, positive change.

      Advocacy & Legislative Resources

      Access SHRM’s curated policy materials and content.

    • SHRM-Led Coalitions
      • Generation Cares
      • The Section 127 Coalition
      • Learn More & Partner with SHRM Government Affairs
  • Community
    back
    Community
    Woman raising hand in group
    Find a SHRM Chapter

    Easily find a local professional or student chapter in your area.

    • Chapters

      Find local connections from over 607 chapters and state councils and create your personalized HR network.

      SHRM Connect

      Post polls, get crowdsourced answers to your questions and network with other HR professionals online.

      SHRM Northern California

      Join SHRM members in the greater San Francisco Bay area for local events and networking.

    • Membership Councils

      Learn about SHRM's five regional councils and the Membership Advisory Council (MAC).

      • Membership Advisory Council
      • Regional Councils
    • Volunteers

      Learn about volunteer opportunities with SHRM.

      • Volunteer Leader Resource Center
Join Today
Renew
Rejoin Now
Renew
  • Store
    • Global
    • India
    • MENA
  • About
  • Book a Speaker
  • Foundation
  • Executive network
  • CEO Circle
  • Enterprise Solutions
  • Linkage Logo
SHRM
Sign In
  • Account
    • My Account
    • Logout
Close

  1. Topics & Tools
  2. Workplace News & Trends
  3. HR Magazine
  4. Addressing Artificial Intelligence-Based Hiring Concerns
Share
  • Linked In
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus convallis sem tellus, vitae egestas felis vestibule ut.


Error message details.

Copy button
Reuse Permissions

Request permission to republish or redistribute SHRM content and materials.


Learn More
Feature

Addressing Artificial Intelligence-Based Hiring Concerns

As scrutiny of AI grows, HR vendors work to add transparency and mitigate potential bias.

May 21, 2020 | Dave Zielinski

An illustration of a computer screen with people on it.


The honeymoon is over for the use of artificial intelligence in human resources. The introduction of a bevy of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools by industry vendors over the past few years was met with a buzz, and it was embraced by HR practitioners seeking to use machine-learning algorithms to bring new efficiencies to recruiting, employee engagement, shared services, learning and development, and other areas of HR.

But as the use of AI has grown, it has attracted more attention from regulators and lawmakers concerned about fairness and ethical issues tied to the technology. Chief among those concerns are a lack of transparency in the way that many AI vendors’ tools work—namely that too many still function as “black boxes” without an easily understood explanation of their inner workings—and that machine-learning algorithms can perpetuate or even exacerbate unconscious bias in hiring decisions.

This increasing scrutiny has manifested itself in a flurry of legislation and regulatory actions designed to create greater oversight of the use of AI in human resources. In January, the state of Illinois signed into law groundbreaking legislation regulating the use of AI in video job interviews. The law requires companies to provide notice to candidates that the technology will be used to analyze their video interviews, explain to candidates how the AI works and obtain candidate consent to be evaluated by AI before any interview takes place.

New Jersey and Washington have since introduced related legislation, and, in February, New York City introduced its own bill designed to regulate the use of AI in hiring, compensation and other HR-related decisions. If the bill is adopted, experts say it would prohibit the sale of AI technology to companies in the city unless the tools have been previously audited for bias.

These actions by lawmakers follow on the heels of steps taken by regulatory bodies to investigate the use of AI tools in the workplace. In late 2019, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a petition asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the use of AI by vendor HireVue, a leading provider of video-interviewing technology. 

EPIC, a public interest research center in Washington, D.C., charged that HireVue was not adhering to international and national standards of fairness, transparency and accountability in the use of its AI-driven interviewing tools. EPIC claims the unregulated use of AI causes harm to job candidates, who are subject to “opaque and unprovable” decision-making in employment and other decisions. 

“Some vendors in the past have banked on the mystery and hype of AI as a way to sell their products,” says Matissa Hollister, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at McGill University in Montreal who studies the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. “But I think they’re seeing increased pressure to be more transparent in what they do.” 

Building in Transparency and Fairness

In the wake of this heightened scrutiny, some vendors are taking steps to add transparency and fairness to their AI products. Kevin Parker, CEO of Hire-Vue, says the company’s video-interviewing solutions now include a more detailed what-to-expect screen for job candidates in the spirit of giving them more insight into AI’s role in the evaluation process. 

“The screen explains what the online interview will entail, whether AI will help evaluate the candidate’s responses and how the hiring company will use the evaluation as part of their recruiting process,” Parker says.

Experts say many vendors can increase the transparency of their algorithms for HR buyers. Ben Eubanks, principal analyst of Huntsville, Ala.-based Lighthouse Research, an HR research and advisory firm, and author of Artificial Intelligence for HR (Kogan Page, 2018), says vendors can take simple steps to make their AI tools much more understandable.

‘We are not interested in building technology that adds ambiguity as to why a given applicant was selected or rejected by the system.’  
Frida Polli

“Most of these AI tools are positioned as infinitely intelligent, but they hinge on a handful of key signals that machine learning is able to use for prediction,” Eubanks says. “Since that’s the case, it would take less than an hour with free tools to create a GIF that shows users how the AI system considers different factors and makes its recommendations.”

Eubanks says vendors often have concerns about sharing their algorithms’ inner workings because they fear it could help candidates game their prehire assessment systems. “But if the AI tool’s recommendations are based on the profile of a high-performing employee or some other objective assessment, there’s no real way to cheat,” he says, “so nothing is gained by keeping the algorithm private or secret.” 

Some vendors have long committed to making their use of algorithms transparent and understandable for HR buyers. Pymetrics, a New York City-based provider of pre-employment assessments that use neuroscience and AI to help match candidates to jobs, ensures that its clients grasp the underlying mechanics of its AI assessment models before those models are deployed to evaluate real candidates, says Frida Polli, the company’s co-founder and CEO. 

“Given that hiring decisions can have enormous implications for people’s lives, we are not interested in building technology that adds ambiguity as to why a given applicant was selected or rejected by the system, as is the case with ‘black box’ algorithms,” Polli says.

Pymetrics also strives to be fully transparent with the candidates who take its assessments, she says, giving them a detailed follow-up report about their social, emotional and cognitive profiles.

Eyal Grayevsky, co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Mya Systems, a provider of a conversational AI platform that automates multiple steps in the recruiting process, says creating a clear understanding among HR buyers of how the company’s machine-learning techniques work has long been a top concern for him. 

“Clients have the ability to review, edit and approve content used prior to deploying our solution,” Grayevsky says, referring to Mya’s AI-driven conversations with clients’ job candidates using natural language processing to pre-screen applicants or respond to queries, such as frequently asked questions. “We then offer full transparency into why each candidate was shortlisted and [his or her] resulting status. A transcript is sent back into the client’s applicant tracking system, offering visibility into each candidate conversation.” 


How Vendors Can Mitigate Bias in AI Tools

Recruiting experts, academic researchers and AI vendors interviewed for this article offered ideas on how providers of artificial intelligence tools can help mitigate potential bias in their algorithms. These are their key points:

Take technology-based cues. Ben Eubanks, principal analyst of Lighthouse Research, an HR research and advisory firm, says the use of technology-based “nudges” to help promote balanced decision-making on recruiting teams is one of the more promising developments he has seen. For example, when a recruiter is reviewing resumes to create a slate of candidates, an algorithm might recommend a female or minority candidate to add to the slate to help ensure equal consideration, Eubanks says.

“The conversation around unconscious bias is a big one, and the truth is we can’t train it out of ourselves,” he says. “The best bet is to have people or tools like algorithms there to help us be more aware of our decision-making and to provide suggestions and prompts so that we can do the right thing in the moment.”

bias personScrutinize the data. Frida Polli, CEO of assessment provider Pymetrics, says vendors should be more thoughtful about the type of data they include in AI-based hiring models. 

“Metrics that are highly correlated with demographic identity are never going to be the best option for achieving fair outcomes,” Polli says. One reason Pymetrics is able to “de-bias” its AI-driven assessment models is because the traits the models measure—things such as memory and risk taking—are more evenly distributed across the human population, she says.

“Unfortunately much of the data that’s used in conventional hiring processes, like standardized test scores and alma maters, has the potential to exacerbate historical patterns of inequality,” Polli says.

Create diverse development teams. Eyal Grayevsky, CEO of AI platform provider Mya Systems, says hiring a diverse engineering and product development team, training it on unconscious bias, and ensuring that product design decisions are made to consciously reduce bias are important steps to ensure that algorithms remain bias-free. Be thoughtful about who you hire for your team, Grayevsky says, and look for people with different backgrounds, genders, ethnicities and years of experience. –D.Z.

Mitigating Potential Bias in Algorithms

One of the biggest concerns of regulators and legislators is that AI-driven recruiting tools can perpetuate bias in hiring processes. Experts say decisions made by human recruiters about applicants have long been fraught with their own unconscious bias, and, because the datasets used to train AI systems are based on human decisions, the resulting algorithms could be just as likely to encourage discriminatory choices or disparate impact unless this issue is mitigated. 

For example, an AI tool trained on a dataset in which human recruiters had avoided hiring graduates from women’s colleges for certain roles will perpetuate that same bias in a machine-learning algorithm.

Some vendors have increased efforts to validate and audit their algorithms to protect against such bias. Parker says HireVue employs a validated bias-mitigation process based on the standard set in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Uniform Guidelines for Employee Selection Procedures. Those guidelines are designed to protect against hiring practices that have discriminatory effects on protected groups.

Parker says HireVue is further guided by standards outlined in the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s principles for the validation and use of personnel selection procedures, and by other professional standards for the design of testing programs. “We’re committed to the continual improvement of our technology and regularly test our models to ensure a level playing field for all people regardless of gender, race or age,” he says. 

Regulators and legislators have focused much of their attention on a function of HireVue’s AI that evaluates candidates’ facial expressions and mannerisms in recorded video interviews. The complaint filed by EPIC claimed that such facial-recognition techniques often analyze emotions differently, based on race, for example. EPIC believes that the system could unfairly score candidates based on prejudices related to their race, gender or sexual orientation.

Parker claims that what candidates say in HireVue video interviews—their word choices and the language of their responses—represents the “overwhelming majority” of what is analyzed by the company’s assessments. 

“In most interviews and assessments, the candidate’s appearance, how they change their facial expressions, and their mannerisms have no impact on the assessment,” he says, “since they’re not relevant to understanding a candidate’s answers to the interview questions or the competencies measured for a particular job.”

Parker says HireVue now also seeks third-party audits of its algorithms. Experts say such audits can help create confidence among HR buyers that the algorithms they’re purchasing will be free of bias, but most agree that the audits aren’t a panacea.

 “Third-party audits might help alleviate fears or minimize perceived risk for buyers,” Eubanks says, “but most buyers still need to be educated on how the algorithm makes decisions in plain language in order to really grasp the significance of such an audit.”

Polli believes third-party audits are a critical tool for promoting public trust in AI and incentivizing vendors to advertise their products genuinely. “We’re currently participating in this very type of process with an academic research team and look forward to sharing the results in the near future,” she says.

Polli believes one of the principal goals of using AI-based hiring assessments should be to reduce the bias that exists when human recruiters screen candidates. “It might be impossible to remove bias from the human brain, but our experience has shown that it is very possible to mitigate bias in algorithms,” she says. “Auditing algorithms is therefore the crucial process we use to make sure improvements in fairness are actually achieved.”

Peter Cappelli, a professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School who specializes in HR practices and co-authored a 2019 study with two Wharton colleagues titled Artificial Intelligence in Human Resources Management: Challenges and a Path Forward, says the best way for vendors to validate their algorithms is by using a client’s own data. 

“That’s the only way to provide evidence that the algorithms don’t have adverse impacts as well,” Cappelli says. “Showing that algorithms predicted good performance or good hires in company X does not protect their use in company Y. Most of what I still hear is just arguments about why an algorithm should predict an outcome.” 

Dave Zielinski is a freelance business writer and editor in Minneapolis.

Illustration by Michael Korfhage.

Technology

Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace

​An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.



Related Content

Kelly Dobbs Bunting speaks onstage at SHRM24
(opens in a new tab)
News
Why AI+HI Is Essential to Compliance

HR must always include human intelligence and oversight of AI in decision-making in hiring and firing, a legal expert said at SHRM24. She added that HR can ensure compliance by meeting the strictest AI standards, which will be in Colorado’s upcoming AI law.

(opens in a new tab)
News
A 4-Day Workweek? AI-Fueled Efficiencies Could Make It Happen

The proliferation of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and the ensuing expected increase in productivity and efficiency, could help usher in the four-day workweek, some experts predict.

(opens in a new tab)
News
How One Company Uses Digital Tools to Boost Employee Well-Being

Learn how Marsh McLennan successfully boosts staff well-being with digital tools, improving productivity and work satisfaction for more than 20,000 employees.

HR Daily Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest HR news, trends, and expert advice each business day.

Success title

Success caption

Manage Subscriptions
  • About SHRM
  • Careers at SHRM
  • Press Room
  • Contact SHRM
  • Book a SHRM Executive Speaker
  • Advertise with Us
  • Partner with Us
  • Copyright & Permissions
  • Post a Job
  • Find an HR Job
Follow Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • SHRM Newsletters
  • Ask An Advisor

© 2025 SHRM. All Rights Reserved

SHRM provides content as a service to its readers and members. It does not offer legal advice, and cannot guarantee the accuracy or suitability of its content for a particular purpose. Disclaimer


  1. Privacy Policy

  2. Terms of Use

  3. Accessibility

Join SHRM for Exclusive Access to Member Content

SHRM Members enjoy unlimited access to articles and exclusive member resources.

Already a member?
Free Article
Limit Reached

Get unlimited access to articles and member-exclusive resources.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join to access unlimited articles and member-only resources.

Already a member?
Free Article
Exclusive Executive-Level Content

This content is for the SHRM Executive Network and Executive Content Subscription members only.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join the Executive Network and enjoy unlimited content.

Already a member?
Free Article
Exclusive Executive-Level Content

This content is for the SHRM Executive Network and Executive Content Subscription members only.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join and enjoy unlimited access to SHRM Executive Network Content.

Already a member?
Unlock Your Career with SHRM Membership

Please enjoy this free resource! Join SHRM for unlimited access to exclusive articles and tools.

Already a member?

Your membership is almost expired! Renew today for unlimited access to member content.

Renew now

Your membership has expired. Renew today for unlimited access to member content.

Renew Now

Your Executive Network membership is nearing its expiration. Renew now to maintain access.

Renew Now

Your membership has expired. Renew your Executive Network benefits today.

Renew Now